ProLine Sports, Nutrition and Equipment Blog

Surgery Complete: Recovery Time

This morning was surgery day. This week felt like it was taking forever. I had a meeting with my doctor on Monday to schedule the surgery. All I wanted throughout this ordeal was to get in and get it done. I know it's not all for nothing, but all the training I had been doing leading up since the initial injury seemed like a waste of time. I'm the type of person who when there's a problem, I want to get it fixed. Quickly and accurately.

The doctors at Rush University Medical in Chicago are outstanding. My doctor has done multiple surgeries on some of Chicago's professional athletes, so I knew I was in good hands.

The good thing about having it done early in the morning is that you can't eat or drink anything for a long period of time. For me it was after midnight. So I was able to go to bed at a normal time and get up early. 4am early. Which is only 20 minutes earlier than normal days for me, but today was sans coffee. So it was a struggle to stay awake on the drive in.

The surgery isn't very invasive as it was done arthroscopically. There's three small dot holes and one incision about an inch long.

I elected to get the allograft (cadaver) as the recovery time is quicker than if I used some of my patella tendon. And there would be scarring.

Surgery took about an hour and a half and I was out like a light once I was slipped on to the operating table. I didn't even need to start counting. I woke up to a slight dull pain in my leg and had it wrapped up in an immobilized brace. The brace runs from my upper thigh down to just above the ankle. It has an adjustment along either side of my knee so I can change how far my knee is allowed to bend. It also locks at just about straight until I start.

Now on to recovery... According to the doctors and reading a few threads about acl injuries, I should be able to put full weight on the leg in a day or so and go without crutches. Then in 6-7 days, the brave can most likely come off. The most exciting part for me is the possibility of getting back in the bike for light training in 8-10 days. In a few weeks I can start some light work on the treadmill and then in about over a month probably some road running. I guess the lucky part for me is that I'm an endurance athlete mostly. The acl causes main concerns for cutting sports, like how I hurt it skiing. I'll news to be waiting a good 4 months most likely before I look at doing anything like that.

I guess all in all I'm much more optimistic about my recovery time than I initially was. I am planning to do a couple races later in the summer and fall, if the doctor clears me for it. It's going to be a long journey to get back to peak form, but now I've got new goals to achieve and a strategic approach to getting there. And it all starts with my physical therapy. Right now it's simple leg raises and toe extensions and flexion. I'll slowly work into range of motion and go
from there getting back into light training. So stay tuned to see how things go.

-Dave

First Impression: Kurt Kinetic Road Machine

For the past couple years I've been riding a hand-me-down trainer from my oldest brother, and it's done its job pretty well. But this year I put a good amount of time on the bike and feel I really improved a lot. Mostly in terms of raw power. So when I've been getting back on the trainer more lately, and doing some high intensity training sessions, I had been feeling I wasn't getting everything out of the session. With winter approaching, long hours and hard sessions on the trainer looming, and my wife and her bike coming home too, it was time for an upgrade. 

I spent a good amount of time doing research and mostly reading in-depth  reviews from all over the place, getting the most information I could about specific trainers and what people are riding. Especially those who focus primarily on biking and getting in great training. I spent time on slowtwitch, beginner triathlete, and performance bike, reading reviews and specs. Also asking a few people first hand what their thoughts were. 

Getting a very road-like feel and being able to adjust the resistance were the two big features I was looking for. Being able to store it, longevity and having it be somewhat mobile were also some things I had in mind as well. Keeping those things in mind, I was continually lead to the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. So I placed my order, and two days later (thanks to being an Amazon Prime member shipping was free) the trainer was at my door and I couldn't wait to jump on it.

                                    

The setup was cake. Out of the box there's the stand, the drive that the tire from the bike attaches to, and a few other small pieces to put on. There's also a training skewer so you don't need to worry about ruining your own. They also put in the warranty info and mail-in registration and a training dvd. It took me less than 10 minutes to setup, and I was ready to spin.

I threw my bike on the trainer and got to it on a 2-hour session, working all over my training zones to see what I could put in. I could really crank hard and never felt anything shimmy or feel like I was pushing too hard. Sprinting, climbing, and being in aero position, I felt completely comfortable pushing it. I can probably add more resistance for a harder workout, but I'll continually work on that as I get more used to it. But, my first impressions are that I love this trainer! It has everything I can ask for out of a basic standalone trainer. I am completely satisfied after one session that this trainer will give me all the gains I'm looking for and I'll be able to get everything I want out of each session, so long as I put in the efforts.

If you're on the market for a solid trainer and ok spending a little money to get something that is going to give you all the power you're looking for, this is it. There are other trainers out there that may be similar, but I can personally say this one is great. Especially with how highly adjustable it is for multiple bikes. Whether you're on your road, triathlon, or mountain bike, adjusting the settings is extremely simple. Check it out for yourself and do some research learning what puts this one at the top of my list.

-Dave